‘It all sucks’: Booed again at home, the Warriors’ season hits new low point
The Golden State Warriors' 2-5 homestand signals a need for change

>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry #30 reacts as he leaves the court
after their 141-105 NBA loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Danny Emerman is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter
By DANNY EMERMAN | demerman@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 10, 2024 at 10:15 p.m. | UPDATED: January 11, 2024 at
9:34 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/01/10/it-all-sucks-booed-again-at-home-the-warriors-season-hits-new-low-point/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors, according to Steve Kerr, have lost their
belief, spirit and confidence. They don’t have Chris Paul or Draymond
Green. They don’t have any reliable lineups to lean on. They don’t have
a second wave of young talent ready to consistently contribute.

What they have — a generational superstar still dominating in his 15th
year and residual championship pedigree — hasn’t been enough.

After consecutive blowout losses at home to cap a 2-5 homestand, the
Warriors (17-20) have sunk to a valley in which only major changes could
lift them out of. To a point in which they’ve gotten booed by Chase
Center fans twice in a row, and deserved it both times.

The most recent smattering of boos came in Golden State’s 141-105 loss
at home to the Pelicans on national television. Toronto embarrassed the
Warriors a game before. Other losses in the home stand included a defeat
to the Heat’s B-team, a convincing shortfall against Dallas and Nikola
Jokic’s gut punch of a game-winning prayer. In the past two weeks, Paul
fractured his hand, Jonathan Kuminga aired public grievances and Andrew
Wiggins has continued to float through games.

“I think you get to a point where you try to explain it away, trying to
figure out what can change, like specifically that can help us,” Steph
Curry said. “That’s the conversations that are happening in between
games, in our film sessions, in our locker room. But it’s heading the
opposite way. I don’t know what to say about it, just because we’re not
used to this vibe around our team. So we have to acknowledge it, not let
go of the rope as they say, when it comes to our belief that we can just
win the next game. But it all sucks.”

Nothing changed against the Pelicans, as the Warriors got off to one of
many slow starts this year. Kerr, still in search of any effective
lineup combinations, started Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Klay Thompson,
Kuminga and Kevon Looney. That unit lagged behind as the Warriors lost
the first quarter 46-27.

Nearly four minutes into the second quarter, the Pelicans stretched
their lead to 25. At that point, New Orleans had gone 11-for-20 from
deep as the Warriors’ defense — which allowed 124.8 points per game on
the home stand — failed to close out to the corners. Kerr called
timeout, and a smattering of boos soundtracked the Warriors to the
bench. The Warriors fans who have seen four championships in the past 10
years had nothing to cheer for.

“You’re supposed to lose sleep over it?” an irked Thompson said of how
to handle the boos.

“It sucks, but we’ve been playing like we’ve deserved it,” added Looney.
“Can’t be mad at the fans. They hold us to a high standard, we set a
high standard here. So we’ve got to go out there and compete and player
better.”

The Warriors’ five who left the court to the light boo chorus were
Podziemski, Cory Joseph, Thompson, Kuminga and Dario Saric. That lineup
doesn’t have enough size or athleticism to compete defensively, nor
enough perimeter shooting to stretch defenses. Without Paul or Green,
Kerr doesn’t have many cards to play.

“We’re all over the place with lineups,” Kerr said. “We’re trying to
find different combinations. Whereas a lot of teams, like New Orleans,
are really rounding into form, they know exactly who they are, we’re
scattered.”

The Warriors have 13 lineups this season with a positive point
differential. Ten of them include Paul, who is out at least three weeks
after undergoing hand surgery. Two more have Green, who’s joining the
Warriors on their upcoming road trip but hasn’t played since his
indefinite suspension began on Dec. 13.

Without Paul, Green and Gary Payton II (hamstring), the Warriors are too
quiet — both on the court defensively and in the locker room. Curry has
never been a vocal leader. Neither has Thompson nor Looney, the steady
veteran. Kerr’s style is to encourage the team to try to instill
confidence rather than yelling at them, though he admitted that approach
may need to change.

As Curry alluded, though, Golden State will need more than shouting to
extend their dynasty. Nearly halfway through the season, the Warriors
are in 12th place in the Western Conference. They’ve already lost 11
games at home, three more than they did all of last year. This group
ranks 23rd in defensive rating has a month before the Feb. 8 trade
deadline to prove it can even compete on a nightly basis.

But with Curry’s prime dwindling, the bar should be higher than just
competing.

“We have a standard,” Curry said. “It’s pretty evident that when things
stay the same – that’s the definition of insanity, right? Keep doing the
same thing expecting a different result.”